Splash Talk: And the North Jersey Girls Swimmer of the Year is….

In one of the most popular polls in Aces history (1,994 votes in a week and over 7,500 views), the debate over North Jersey Girls Swimmer of the Year was as close as it could get. If you asked five different people, you might get five different answers. It wasn’t like it was between one or two swimmers… there were plenty of worthy and deserving candidates to grab this year’s coveted award.

Choosing this one was tough. The toughest Player of the Year decision I’ve ever had. I ended up ranking the top 10 and below is how I came to the decisions that I did. When doing these rankings that you’re about to read, though, I put most stock in the State Meet of Champions, but factored in a ton of different things as well. In my opinion, swimmers should be rewarded for their performances at the highest level…. 

And Demarest sophomore Christina Paspalas earned Swimmer of the Year that day at Gloucester Tech against the best in the state, taking second in her best event — the 100 back stroke (55.82) — and overachieving in her ‘lesser’ event — the 100 butterfly (57.50) — going from the No. 8 seed to finishing in sixth place. Both those times put her second all-time in North Jersey history, according to our research, so Paspalas had a historically great day at this year’s SMOC. I’m gonna be honest, I had no idea who Swimmer of the Year on the girls side would be the entire year. I must have changed my opinion after every meet I saw… and the poll I posted didn’t do me any favors, either. This decision, apparently, is going to disappoint like… over 1,600 people (at least I have 311 Paspalas fans on my side). After days of deliberation, though, I feel confident when I say Christina Paspalas was the top swimmer in North Jersey this season, factoring in dual meets (she was undefeated in those, doing every event except the breast), league meets (two titles there in the 100 fly and 100 back), county championships (a win in the 100 back; a 2nd in the 100 fly) and, of course, the state Meet of Champions. Christina Paspalas put in a full year’s work and, more times than not, delivered absolutely outstanding performances. But man, Meaghan O’Donnell, you made it a tough choice…

The best thing about these two is that they’ll be battling for this honor for the next two years, too, both being sophomores. Speaking of O’Donnell, her Swimmer of the Year case is legit, which is why she’s runner-up. A state third in the 100 breast, a state eighth in the 50 free, two record-breaking Passaic County performances this year in the 200 IM and 100 freestyle (making her the record-holder in FOUR of eight individual races at the PCC), two wins at the Big North league meet in the 50 free and 100 breast. Plus, she’s broken just about every Wayne Valley record there is in only two years. It wouldn’t have been wrong to go with Meaghan O’Donnell as the North Jersey Swimmer of the Year, that’s for sure. One of her goals is the be the record-holder in all eight PCC individual events — setting two new records every season — by the time she’s done at Wayne Valley. That’s some major versatility. I think one of these years she’s gonna win a state title, too. I’m looking forward to seeing what O’Donnell does the next two years.

Next up, Kinnelon’s Abby Fisher. It’s true she might be the most talented swimmer of the entire bunch, but she takes third in the SOTY race because, well, O’Donnell beat her in the breast at the state Meet of Champions and her times at this year’s MOC weren’t as low as they’ve been in years past (she also took fifth in the state in the 100 breast stroke). That could be because of a variety of reasons, and this certainly isn’t a knock on her. 99% of North Jersey would love to have the times Fisher posted this year and I’m sure she’s going to have an outstanding career at North Carolina, just as she did at Kinnelon. Speaking of Kinnelon, I wish the Colts would schedule some Bergen schools in the future… they really have some great swimmers. I’d have loved to see Kinnelon vs. Highlands this year to settle the debate for No. 2 team in North Jersey. I went with Kinnelon in the No. 2 slot, simply because the Colts advanced one round further than Highlands, and also gave Chatham a slightly more competitive meet.

In fourth, IHA’s Sara Nestrowitz. Why? Stepping up on the biggest stages. Nestrowitz won both her individual races at the Bergen Meet of Champions — the 50 and 100 freestyle — then bested both those times on an even bigger stage — the Non-Public A state championship against Red Bank Catholic — to lead IHA to its sixth straight state title. She was undefeated this year in individual races against schools not named Westfield, but even took second in both her races against the Blue Devils, the consensus No. 1 team in New Jersey. I wonder if IHA coach Jason Schlereth will keep her in the sprints next year or let her do other events. Apparently, as good as she is in the 50 and 100, she’s even better in other events.. a testament to Nestrowitz’s character. She’s the definition of a team-first swimmer, swimming whatever events which will help the Blue Eagles the most. I’m glad she got an Athlete of the Week this year, too.

In fifth, I’m going with Ramapo’s Lena DiPrizito. Why is she ahead of teammate Katie Murphy? She was part of that historic 200 medley relay winning team which ended IHA’s streak of 39 straight relay wins at the BMOC… but so was Murphy. The kicker? DiPrizito won two individual events at the Bergen Meet of Champions (the breast and 200 IM) and beat Murphy in the 200 individual medley, albeit by .10 seconds. Still, a win’s a win. Keep in mind, this is major nitpicking going on right now to separate all these girls. All 10 of these swimmers are absolutely incredible in the water and even better people out of it. Just look at that poll again. Each girl had literally hundreds of people supporting them, voting for them, rooting for them. I talked with and got to know nine of the 10 at some point this season (I’m sorry, Sophie Tallier) and I’m already looking forward to seeing the underclassmen come back next year and to track the careers of the departing seniors, like Fisher, Murphy and Caitlin Grady, at North Carolina, Cornell and Lehigh, respectively. A case could be made for each and every one of these 10 for Swimmer of the Year. To even be considered one of the 10 best is an accomplishment in its own right. Think about how many swimmers there are in North Jersey. If you’re on this list, you did something great this year.

Anyway, next up in sixth is Katie Murphy, the Cornell-bound senior who “won” the poll with 407 votes. Murphy was also part of a historic 200 medley relay winning team at the BMOC, took second in the 200 IM (to DiPrizito) and broke her own meet record in the 100 fly. The meet record is what put her head of the next swimmer on the list, Northern Highlands’ Maddie Wolf (who also won an event and took second in another at the BMOC, but didn’t break a record). What really hurt the Ramapo girls is not showing up at the league meet and state Meet of Champions. Obviously, club schedules interfered, which I understand, but I can only go off what I see, and I saw the Ramapo girls swim one time this year — at the Bergen Meet of Champions. It also doesn’t help that, most of the time, we don’t get Ramapo’s scores and times sent to us after their meets. But Murphy is on Abby Fisher’s level in terms of talent, there’s no denying that. Murphy’s a future Division I swimmer who has gone undefeated in the fly for two years running, winning county titles both years, while breaking, then re-breaking the meet record her junior and senior seasons. That’s amazing. Another point toward Paspalas’ case here, though… her 57.50 in the fly at the SMOC was faster than Murphy’s meet-record 57.78 at the BMOC. Again, nitpicking.

The next two are the Highlands girls: Maddie Wolf, in seventh, then Caitlin Grady, in eighth. Talent-wise, Wolf is just ridiculous. Paspalas, O’Donnell, Wolf, and Sophie Tallier (who I’ll be getting to)… all sophomores. And all awesome. The battle for the next few Swimmers of the Year are going to be just as tight as this year’s one was. Maddie emerged as the top swimmer on Highlands’ second straight sectional title win over Mountain Lakes. I wrote this a few weeks ago, but for years, Highlands couldn’t get past Mountain Lakes. Then Wolf comes along and the Highlanders are 2-for-2. Tom Viscardi called her a “difference-maker” and that’s a perfect way to describe her. In that win over the Lakers, the “super soph” (What the heck am I gonna call her next year?) won the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly, and was as close to an auto-win as you could get anytime she hit the water. She won the 200 freestyle at the Bergen MOC and took second to Sara Nestrowitz — another just about auto-win swimmer — in the 100 free. Watch out for Maddie Wolf the next two years.

In eighth, the Lehigh-bound Caitlin Grady, our second-place poll finisher. I have to say it’s ridiculous Grady was an honorable mention All-County selection (though she did appear on Highlands’ 2nd-team 400 free relay team). Apparently, All-County teams are based off one meet — the Bergen Meet of Champions. Think about that. There’s like 10 weeks left of season after the BMOC. I ran into the same problem in gymnastics when gymnasts would have an off day at the county meet, or not compete because of injury, then slide in the All-County teams because of that. By Grady’s standards, her 5th place in the IM and 6th in the breast were disappointing for her. But it was in those 10 weeks following the BMOC that Caitlin Grady started to come into her own, regaining the form of years past. Anyone who says Grady wasn’t one of the best swimmers in North Jersey at season’s end wasn’t paying attention. And that’s why I put on my first-team All-North Jersey in one of the three “Open” slots. She came up clutch when it mattered most, posting season-best times in true team meets as opposed to the more individualized county meets, with far less rest time in between events, too. Her times in the 200 IM, 100 breast and splits in the relays late in the year were right up there with the best in North Jersey, and a major reason why Highlands is now the two-time defending North 1, Public B sectional champion. The county meet is ultimately why Grady isn’t higher on this list, but her impressive late-season turnaround is why I consider her one of the ten best swimmers in North Jersey this season and certainly worthy of the first team All-North Jersey nod.

At nine, someone who I didn’t even include in the poll, Tenafly’s Sophie Tallier. I don’t know why she was omitted from the poll, but she certainly deserved to be up there. Only a sophomore, Tallier has quickly gained a reputation as one of the best distance swimmers in North Jersey. After taking third in the 500 freestyle at the Bergen Meet of Champions, Tallier cruised to victory in 5:08.85 this season — nearly four seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. The 5:08.85 at the BMOC would have been in the mix at the state Meet of Champions in the consolation heat. It’s safe to say Tallier is one of the best distance swimmers in New Jersey… and she’s only going to get better. And I promise to talk to her next year.

And rounding out the top ten is… a tie — admittedly a total cop-out. I couldn’t decide between Immaculate Heart’s Emilia Weihenig and Wayne Hills’ Sam Kauffman, the only freshman to make this list, so I guess that makes her the unofficial Freshman of the Year. Very deserving, too, especially in a year with a lot of goods ones, like Highlands’ Madison Cullinan and Isabella Biagioli, IHA’s Jillian Calocino and Alexis Wiener, Fair Lawn’s Annmarie Picinich and Tenafly’s Julia Solin. Kauffman managed to crack the top…11…despite not being a first team All-North Jersey selection. She couldn’t be first team in the back, because Paspalas was there. Nestrowitz occupied the 50 free. Since Fisher took the IM spot, that moved DiPrizito to a first team “Open” spot. Grady took “Open” spot number two. So it came down to Emilia Weihenig vs. Sam Kauffman for the final “Open” spot. I went with Weihenig for her performance at the BMOC (a pair of third place finishes in the 200 IM and 500 free) and state tournament, as she became one of the key pieces to IHA’s sixth straight state title. But what Kauffman did this year certainly didn’t go unnoticed and I’m sure over the next three years, we’ll be seeing Kauffman emerge as a first team All-North Jersey selection (plus, she got her picture in the paper anyway thanks to being first team All-Passaic). I’m not sure if Wayne Hills continues its’ streak of now four consecutive Passaic County titles without Kauffman’s arrival. Hills had holes to fill, whether it be because of graduation or injuries, and Kauffman fit the bill phenomenally. She won the 50 free at the PCC, breaking a new meet record with her 25.74, and also took first in the 100 back, nearly breaking O’Donnell’s record with her 1:00.76, just .13 seconds off the record. Every time I saw Hills swim, Kauffman was impressive.

So there you have it.. the Top 11: 1. Paspalas, 2. O’Donnell, 3. Fisher, 4. Nestrowitz, 5. DiPrizito, 6. Murphy, 7. Wolf, 8. Grady, 9. Tallier, 10/11. Weihenig/Kauffman.

Again, you could make a case for just about each one for Swimmer of the Year. If I was the beat writer for North Jersey CLUB swimming, and not high school swimming, this top 11 might have a very different look. But again, I’m going by what I saw, the information I received all year from coaches, input from those same coaches, and made my decisions accordingly — both in these rankings and on my All-North Jersey teams. At the very least, I hope you see the time and effort put into this. It wasn’t easy, and that’s a testament to the the quality of swimmers we have around here. And it’s looking like it’s only going to keep improving, too.

To show you just how impressive of a list this is, Hasbrouck Heights’ Kim Sembrano, another sophomore, isn’t even on it… and she took 15th in the state in the 100 backstroke and won a pair of events (200 IM, 100 back) at the NJIC Championships. She would be No. 12 on the list. … Ramapo’s Julia Perry, who took 2nd at the BMOC in the 200 free and third in the 50 free, would probably be No. 13. … Immaculate Heart’s Michelle Kim took fourth in the 100 butterfly and second in the 100 backstroke at the Bergen Meet of Champs, then won two individual events in the state final vs. Red Bank Catholic. She’d probably be No. 14. The hype before the Bergen MOC 100 back was Paspalas vs. Kim, and they went 1-2.

There’s still top-end talent, I could keep going. What Northern Highlands’ Maggie McElwain did this year was outstanding. She took second to Tallier in the 500 free at the Bergen MOC and third to Wolf and Perry in the 200 freestyle. The Loyola-bound senior also played a huge role in the sectional final win over Mountain Lakes putting up a huge performance in the 500. So she’d be No. 15. At No. 16, I’d go with IHA’s Valerie Lauer, who I’ve written before might have been the most underrated swimmer in North Jersey this year. The Lehigh-bound senior took fourth in the 200 freestyle and third in the 100 butterfly at the Bergen MOC and was a staple in the Blue Eagles’ 200 freestyle relay team all year. She also met Shaq in a 7-11 last week, so that’s gotta count for something. At No. 17, Northern Highlands’ Katie Ogden. She took third in the 100 freestyle at the Bergen MOC behind only Nestrowitz and Wolf, and finished fifth in the 100 back. Both McElwain and Ogden were part of what I considered to be Highlands’ “Core Four,” along with Wolf and Grady. She was also one of the best swimmers to interview all year … And Fair Lawn’s Annmarie Picinich burst onto the high school scene as a freshman and immediately earned a pair of top-five finishes at the Bergen MOC. She took second to Nestrowitz in the 50 free and fifth  in the 100 free. So she’d be No. 18, as the promising freshman was the leading scorer for the Cutters, who earned an unexpected share of the league title thanks in large part to an impressive dual meet win over Wayne Hills.

And then you obviously have the all-important key depth pieces to what makes the top teams what they are. IHA had Kelly Czochanski, Charissa Venice, Kathryn DeSernia, Emily Horne, and the freshmen, Calocino and Wiener, Highlands had Caitlyn Bach, Marissa Lauber, Paulina Lengel, Genevieve Donahue, and the previously mentioned Cullinan and Biagioli. IHA and Highlands had the top-end talent, but don’t get to where they did this year without swimmers like these. Same goes for Wayne Hills. Ilana Kleinfeld was awesome not only this year, but from everything I read, has been awesome the last four years. Liz Gokhman, Gabi Cancel, Emma Cancel, Victoria Meyer… that’s why Hills ended up winning their fourth Passaic County title in a row and made a run to the sectional semis. None of these swimmers were in contention for Swimmer of the Year, but it’s because of all these swimmers that their respective teams accomplished all that they did this year.

Paramus Catholic’s Marie Guerrero and DePaul’s Hannah O’Brien and Erin Hackett flew somewhat under the radar this year in the tough Non-Public Big North division, but their strong seasons certainly didn’t go unnoticed. Heck, O’Brien even won a pair of Passaic County titles this year in the 200 and 500 freestyles, while Guerrero helped lead the Paladins to a state tournament berth… and there were only three teams that qualified in their section.

Speaking of Passaic County, Passaic Tech’s got a couple of good ones over there in Toniann Feigel and Iris Santos. Feigel earned a pair of bronzes in the 200 IM and 100 free at the PCC, while Santos went 2nd and 5th in the 200 and 100 freestyles. Clifton’s Christine Gustafson is worth mentioning, too, after winning the county title in the 100 fly and taking second of Sam Kauffman in the 100 back.

And at Pascack Regional, you had Jennifer Iannello and Nicole Caliabrese lead the team to its third straight division title, and first outright one.. finally not having to share it with River Dell/Westwood, a team with some quality swimmers of its own like Maddy Toohey, Gabrielle Denicola and Emily Reynolds. Pascack had such a good year, winning its first nine dual meets before a season-ending loss in the state tournament, that I made Shawn Buchanan my girls North Jersey Coach of the Year. He said it was a reflection of how talented his team was, and that’s true. It was a great year in Pascack.

And how about Tatiana Greiner over there in Rutherford? She was the top swimmer on the Bulldogs’ NJIC championship squad. And what about Secaucus’ Gabriella Trinagali, who won a pair of events at the NJIC Championships, breaking meet records in both. And freshman Juliet Nowak was impressive that day, too, winning the 100 fly and finishing second to Sembrano in the 100 back. She’s one to keep an eye on in the future. New Milford’s Jenarsy Pena finished second twice at the NJIC Championships, too, behind Trinagali and Greiner, so she’s a good one, too. And over there in Teaneck, Brenda Arthur put the finishing touches on an outstanding career in which she broke a few records along the way.

So, there was plenty of top-end talent in North Jersey this year. And there’ll be plenty of returning talent next year, too. Only five first team All-North Jersey selections were seniors this year — Murphy, Grady, Fisher, Lauer and Meghan Thompson.

And coming Saturday (or maybe Sunday, depending on when I finish it), will be a full Year-in-Review, including both boys and girls top storylines all season.